The Right Way Home
by silkycatastrophe
Summary: They've always told us, that one day we would fall in love. It was inevitable. A boy and a girl couldn't be best friends without falling for each other. But there is a difference between loving your best friend and being in love with them. How far does love really stretch? Across oceans? Across the country? Across the backyard? Across your heart? AU.
1. I was gone, but now I am found

**Chapter 1: I was Gone, but now I am Found**

* * *

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

**_The Road Not Taken_**** - Robert Frost**

* * *

The airport wasn't far from Ally's house but that didn't slow her beating heart. She was so close. So close to him. So close, so could practically feel his warm touch. She could almost hear his beating heart where her head would lay against his chest. She imagined his eyes, and the way he concentrates when he is doing something. Somehow, every little task managed to gain his full attention, and it fascinated Ally.

There was something about being away for a month that made her stomach uneasy. The blur of landscape flew by as they drove past subdivision after subdivision, but Ally couldn't seem to knock out the gut feeling that something awful had happened while she had been away.

"Is she sleeping?" Ally heard her father whisper to his mother from the driver's seat. When Ally turned her head away from the window and saw her mother's dark green eyes smiling back at her, she felt invaded.

"No, she's not", her mother replied back.

"Ally", her Dad called, "You're being so quiet right now. I thought you would be excited to go home. Seeing as you were whining the entire trip about missing"-

"Don't say it", Ally winced cutting her dad off. Ally knew that in her right mind, she was a strong willed woman. And she was proud of her ability to hide away emotions and stay in control. But Ally was not in her right mind, and she was afraid that her emotions were completely taking over her and making her think outrageous thoughts. She could only hope. Ally let her greatest fears take the best of her, and it made her miserable.

"Is everything alright Ally? Did you text Austin yet?" her mom asked turning around in her seat to face her daughter. At the sound of Austin's name she felt her stomach sink. All the hopes she had felt over, were completely gone. She didn't blame her parents for begin curious. In fact, if Ally saw someone in the same state as herself in that moment, she would be pinning them with questions too.

"No," Ally grumbled. "My phone's battery is dead."

"We're almost home hun", Penny assured her daughter, who was starting to worry her.

Ally sighed and looked back out the window at the passing corn fields.

Her dad pulled into the drive way of the house a half an hour later and by that point she was in complete denial. What if he met someone new? What if he forgot about her completely? What if he had replaced her position as his best friend with someone else? What if she messed everything up by going on a one month vacation without her best friend?

She opened the door of the car feeling completely worn out. She wanted to just walk inside the house and spend the rest of the afternoon sleeping. She was sure that it was just the lack of sleep and the jet lag that she experienced causing her mind to wander to new corners. She stretched her arms above her head and released a yawn. She started walking towards the house door where her Dad was already fiddling with the lock and opening the door.

She was one step in the front door, which lead to the only place where life always made sense and it still managed to feel foreign. She immediately felt a tug on her hand. The grip grew tighter and pulled her back out the door.

She squeaked quietly and her heart started to race, before her face met the person who tugged her hand. His hazel eyes glowed and sparkled in the sun light, and they gleamed with excitement. His brow crept higher as they made eye contact. And suddenly home didn't feel so far away.

"Austin!" she screeched excitedly. Ally embraced him into the best hug she'd ever given, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. He did the same, not wasting anytime. "I missed you so much!" she whispered into his ear.

"Oh God, Alls. I missed you so much too!" he replied back lifting her feet slightly off the ground. Ally smiled into his shirt and inhaled his glorious smell which she had missed so much the last month. Immediately she regretted ever thinking he would forget about her.

She released him and he released her, and they just stared at each other speaking an unknown language until she broke the uncomfortable silence. She grabbed his hand in hers, and dragged him around the corner of the house into her back yard. She pulled him onto the hammock and sat there next to him still having their arms linked. The hammock was attached to two large maple trees. They were surrounded by a beautiful garden full of blooming flowers and greens.

"Look what I got you", Ally said as she removed a small box from her coat pocket. She fought hard to hide her excitement that made her feel like a child.

"What is it?"

"It's a bomb", she said in all seriousness, trying to hold back a smile.

He shoved her side playfully, as he removed the lid and the bow of the small red box.

"I found it in London, England in a small store one afternoon. And I thought of you right away", she rambled. "It's not much, but I remembered what you said that one time mentioned dog whistles, because you thought they were absolutely ridiculous. But it looked so simple and pure. Anyways, I hope you like it." Austin stared at her as she ranted. He watched her lips move and she shifted slightly under pressure. He tore his gaze away from her and removed a silver dog whistle from the box; he examined it in his hand and blew into it for a few second.

When a dog started barking they both started laughing.

"It even works", he said. "This is the nicest bomb I've ever gotten."

Ally let his comment pass with a small smirk on her face.

She took the whistle in her hands, and flipped it over. He put an arm around her shoulder holding her closer to him.

"Actually, it's meant to be a chain, I think", she said as fiddled with it in her hands.

Austin was rocking them back and forth with his foot on the ground.

He took the silver whistle back.

"Thanks Ally. I'll carry it everywhere I go, to remind me of you."

"So you like it?" she asked wincing. Austin kissed her temple, smiling.

"Of course I like it. I like everything you get me."

The sun was shining brightly around them, and it was a perfectly warm September afternoon.

"Do you want a ride to school tomorrow?"

"Would you mind?" she asked looking into his eyes. His eyes examined her entire face.

"I would never mind. You my friend, can come to me for anything." She smiled at him hugging him closer to her, and hiding her face in his sweater. She didn't even want to begin thinking about her first day of school.

"Hey do you want to go do something?" Austin said abruptly.

"What kind of something?" Ally asked hesitant.

"Let's go roller blading! It will prepare you for the ice!" Austin was always trying to convince Ally to learn to skate. He was so eager to teach her. Ally had tried a few times, but she always ended up hugging the boards for the majority of the time.

"I don't know Austin. I'll just fall on my butt", she recoiled.

"No you won't!"

"Yes, I will. And you will laugh and it will be embarrassing."

"What if I promise not to laugh?" he offered. "And just to sweeten the deal, I'll even be your instructor. I won't let you fall."

"Oh well that changes everything", she replies sarcastically.

"Perfect! I'll meet you at your front door in 10? Okay?" he replied sweetly, clearly not hearing the sarcasm in her voice.

Ally sighed loudly.

"Fine!" she huffed and walked back into her house.

Ally went in her room to grab money and change out of her airplane flying clothes into something a little more appropriate for roller blading.

She put on leggings and a light sweater, and left her hair down and flowing.

When she ran down stairs she saw her parents on their computer looking through the pictures that they had taken from the vacation.

"Hey mom?" Ally called from the door frame.

"Hmm", Penny mumbled. She was more concentrated on the pictured on the computer screen than anything else. Ally's mom was a photographer, so it made sense. These were the types of things she lived for. Ally would be the first to admit that her mother's photography was the best she had ever seen, but it was a time consuming occupation. So it had its setbacks.

"Austin and I are going to the roller blading rink for a while; we will be home in a few hours."

"Okay, have fun."

"Thanks."

She heard a soft thump on the front door and ran to let Austin in.

"Why did you knock? You never knock", Ally commented.

"I felt like being polite for once", he replied. Ally chuckled, because Austin was literally the kindest person she had ever met. And he was far from rude. "Ready to go?"

* * *

"Hold my hands", Austin gently said as he stood in front of her. She had one hand on the gate keeping her balance and the other hand out in front of her in case she fell. To Austin, she looked like a fawn trying to walk for the first time. Her knees buckled. He smiled at her delicacy.

"Ally?" he said, "you can trust me." He tried to encourage the brunette. Though she knew she could trust him with her life, she was still hesitant to remove her hand from the gate.

Austin was patient with Ally. He knew that this was hard for her.

"Let's try this… I'm going to skate slowly backwards, and hold your hands in mine. You don't have to move your feet, just go with it. Okay?"

Ally nodded slowly, and removed her hand from the gate. She kept her balance and smiled at Austin. She gave him her other hand and tried to stand up straighter.

When she was finally comfortable standing in place, Austin glided slowly backwards. Ally's eyes dilated at first, but returned to normal when she realized that she was completely safe in Austin's hands. She smiled at the thought.

"Ally you're doing great!" Austin cheered.

"You're doing all the work", she commented.

"But you have fallen yet, so that's good."

"Don't tempt fate!" She hissed. Austin laughed. Ally looked at their feet. Austin made it look so easy. Part of her wanted to give it a try by herself, but she liked the way her hands felt in his. They were so strong and firm. He distracted her by talking about things she missed when she was gone, and her vacation.

"Here let's try one hand now", Austin stated after a few minutes of skating. He released his right hand from hers.

"No!" she spoke quickly, not wanting to lose her balance. But Austin had already let go.

"You're fine, you're fine", he encourage again, as he helped her regain her balance.

Ally breathed out a huge sigh of relief when she had finally felt her balance return. She glared at Austin with narrow eyes. Austin laughed at her reaction.

"Jerk", she whispered quietly.

He scoffed, faking hurt.

"You are doing great. I thought it would take at least ten minutes to get you past the gate, but look here we are and you are practically doing it on your own. Progress Ally, that's progress."

Ally smiled. He was always such an optimist when it came to her.

"Isn't that Julian from your hockey team?" Ally pointed out, still in a rigged form.

Austin released her hand and spun to find his friend. He quickly turned back not being able to find Julian, but that was still enough time for Ally to fall on her butt.

She fell with an 'oof', and glared up at Austin who was wincing.

"Sorry", he spoke quickly, and lifted her up to her feet as if she weighed nothing more than a feather.

Their faces were merely inches apart when her feet regained balance on the hardwood floor. Austin's hand gently caressed her hair and tucked it behind her ear. He had a sad look on his face that Ally couldn't figure out. It was puzzling.

Ally found herself speechless and mesmerized; unable to talk, she concentrated on Austin's touch.

"You know, I really missed you while you were gone", he whispered.

Still unable to talk, she just nodded.

"Never leave for that long again", his voice was raw and husky. But within seconds, he turned his head away from hers, and the sadness was replaced by a smile again.

"Come on, let's go get some ice cream."

And just like that, he was back. The Austin she knew was hers again. But she couldn't help but feel that something had changed.


	2. All the right signs

Chapter 2: All the right signs

* * *

_"Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies."_

**- Aristotle**

* * *

Ally took a deep breath looking into the mirror of her bed room the next morning. The body sized mirror displayed a girl who appeared to be vulnerable. She examined herself. She wore the slightest bit of mascara, and lip gloss. Her hair was in a loose bun. She didn't try too hard this morning, since her main goal of the day was to just get through the day without embarrassing herself. However, she would admit that she thought she looked pretty cute, and her limited amount of effort seemed to pay off. She tried her best to calm her nervous stomach by giving herself a pep talk.

She pulled her light brown leather jacket on over top her simple red t-shirt matched with dark washed denim skinny jeans, and she grabbed her book bag off the floor of her bed room. She flung the bag around her shoulder and walked out of the room and down the stairs to the kitchen.

Both of her parents were already awake and eating breakfast. They were chatting as she set her bag back down.

"Good morning sweetie", Ally's Dad called planting a kiss on her forehead.

"Daddy", she started. She hadn't called him Daddy in a long time. "Is there any way we can make an arrangement that wouldn't involve me going to this new school?" She tried to toy with her dad, because she knew that if she fought hard, she could get whatever she wanted.

He shook his head vigorously. It was going to be tougher than she thought.

"Sorry hun. This school will be good for you." She wanted to huff and stomp off in the other direction like a child, because she knew deep down that he had made his decision. She just didn't want to accept it. Just as he finished talking she heard the front door open and Austin walked in making himself at home. She smiled as she noticed his face glowing with excitement.

"Austin! I missed you!" Ally's mom called standing up and embracing him into a hug. The morning light shone in the room making her shiver with warmth.

"You too, Penny", Austin replied. Austin turned to Ally's father. "Lester, how was your trip?"

"It was great son", her dad smiled shaking Austin's hand.

"Come on! Let's go!" Ally said pulling Austin out of the room.

"Someone is excited for school", he replied chuckling.

"Nope, but I do want to get out of this place. And I figured that you of all people should be able to help me figure out a way of avoiding school for the day."

He shook his head laughing.

"I can't, I promised you dad I would get you to school safely. Mainly just to school", he admitted. She put her shoes on and grabbed her bag.

"He would ask you that too. He knows how much I don't want to start a new school too."

"You don't want to go do school with me?" Austin asked faking hurt.

"No! I do want to go to school with you, but that is the only benefit coming from transferring schools."

"There has to be something else beneficial", Austin replied.

"Name one thing, and try and convince me."

"We have a good music programme?" he replied after half a minute of silence. It sounded more like a question and as if he wasn't quite sure of himself.

"You don't sound to certain about that big shot."

They got in the car and Austin started it. They both sat in a comfortable silence listening to some music for a few minutes as Austin began the 15 minute drive to school.

"What's going on in that pretty little head of yours?" Austin asked turning his head slightly to see Ally with a serious look on her face.

"I'm trying to think of a way to get that man back."

Austin laughed shaking his head disapprovingly.

Ten minutes later, Ally was restless.

"Hey", Austin said gently, glancing briefly away from the road at Ally, "you'll be fine. Don't worry; I'll be with you every step of the day. Alright?" He must have noticed her bouncing legs. She tended to bounce her legs whenever she was nervous. According to him it was her first tell. So he always knew when she was having an internal battle with herself or if she was just nervous.

Austin stopped the truck at the street lights as the lights turned a shade of orange and then red. He moved his hand from the gear shift and rested it on hers. She turned her hand and intertwined their fingers which seemed to fit together more perfectly than matching puzzle pieces. It was meant to be comforting, but it seemed to raise Ally's heart rate higher and higher.

"You have no reason to worry. I've got this school on lock down. I know it inside out, and backwards. I know the school and the people there like I know the back of my hand."

She nodded, still completely unsure of herself. As the red light turned to green, she watched as her best friend released her hand. As soon as he removed his grip, the feeling of emptiness returned, and her nerves were sent on high alert.

Senior year was probably the worst time to start a new school, Ally thought. People would already have their own friends and groups, and she was going to be left out and lonely for the next two years.

Seeing as she returned from her family vacation to Europe just yesterday, she wouldn't exactly suggest that she was prepared for school either.

When they drove into the parking lot of the school, students where gathered everywhere. People greeted their friends after the weekend, and mingled about the latest gossip. She already felt out of place and Austin hadn't even parked the car yet.

Austin drove into the first available spot he saw and released the steering wheel. She glanced out the windshield window. People were laughing and flirting, and going on with their lives. She felt so alone.

"Austin, I can't do this", she said gripping the backpack that was sitting on top of her lap tighter around her arms trying to shield herself. The gesture was to make her appear smaller so she could hide, but it failed miserably.

"What?" he replied, slightly shocked. "Of course you can do this. It's just high school."

"Can you bring me back home?" she asked sheepishly.

"Ally, come on, you are way stronger than this. I know you can do this. It's just a couple of hours."

"But you know I suck at making friends."

"You managed to get me to be your friend", he joked. She giggled lightly, still remembering the day she moved to the house next to his.

* * *

_She was holding her favourite doll, Suzie in her hands and was running around the new house. The house was huge to her 4 year old eyes, and for once in her life, every room was empty except for the dozens of boxes lining the rooms. The walls were like a blank canvas, just waiting to be experimented on. _

_She danced around the room with her door. Her light pink dress with a floral pattern swayed as she danced around. When she grew up she wanted to be a ballerina, so she needed to practice._

_She heard a knock on the door, as she was showing Suzie the giant stair case. _

_"I'll get it Daddy!" she called, as her father and mother shifted the sofa around the living room._

_She opened the large wooden door in front of her, which was actually a lot heavier than it looked. _

_"Hello!" she welcomed cheerfully. _

_The couple in front of her smiled brightly down at her, and their eyes sparked. _

_"Hi there sweetie, are your parents here?" the women asked graciously. _

_She gripped Suzie tighter as if on instinct and smiled warmly. _

_"Yah, they are. They are moving the sofa. Come on in."_

_The man looked at his wife and smiled. _

_They both walked in, and behind them was a boy wearing dark jeans and a blue shirt. _

_Ally looked to him with a large smile, and when he returned it, she knew they would be best friends._

_"I'm Ally, what's your name?" she asked._

_"My name is Austin! And you are my new neighbor!"_

_"You live next door?" Ally exclaimed as if it was the coolest thing in the world._

_"Yah!_

_She took her hand in his and pulled him into the kitchen. His parents followed behind the children, laughing about something. _

_"Come on, I want to show you the back yard", she told the boy. "There is a really big tree and it is perfect for a tree fort."_

_He followed her eagerly, but before they could go through the door in the kitchen leading to the backyard, her parents walked in. _

_"Ally, who was at the do – oh hello!" her father called cheerfully as he became aware of the three other people in the house. _

_"Honey", her mom called gently, "you can't just invite strangers into the house." _

_"But they are so nice! They brought me a friend!" Ally replied pointing towards the cute boy standing next to her. _

_"What's your name kiddo", her dad asked. _

_"I'm Austin", he replied with enthusiasm. _

_"It's nice to meet you Austin." Austin smiled proudly and so did his parents behind him. Ally's dad turned to face the guests. _

_"Hi! I'm Lester. And this is Penny." He shook the hands of the two strangers, followed by her mom doing the same. _

_"We just wanted to welcome you to the neighbourhood, we live next door." The women replied pointing out the window to the house next to ours. "I'm Mimi, and this is Mike."_

_Austin and Ally ran off into the back yard, and he wouldn't stop smiling at her. She didn't mind. He had a nice smile._

_They sat across from each other playing in the sand box._

_"Austin", she said gaining his attention. "You're my best friend", she said a matter of factly._

_"Okay. You're mine too."_

_"Best friends forever?"_

_"Forever and ever." And all of a sudden the doll sitting on the stair case waiting for her didn't seem so important anymore. She had a new friend, and that made everything worth it._

* * *

Things seemed so different and easy back then. But that would always her favourite day ever.

"That's different."

"Why?"

"Because… because you're you. You are so easy to talk to and I love you."

He smiled warmly. Just his smile made her think that everything was going to be just fine.

"Come on, let's go.

When she turned towards the school, away from the car she noticed everyone was looking at her. It seemed that all of their conversations came to a complete stop, and everyone was more focused on the 'new girl' then their own lives. She was sure that she had developed New Kid Syndrome and that she would be the target of the day.

She tried to stand straighter and look more confident then she was feeling deep inside. She pulled my bag up higher and Austin took his spot next to her. He put his arm around her shoulder in a reassuring manor, and trying to give her more confidence.

"Welcome to Marino High School where dreams come true", Austin spoke motioned towards the large school.

He led her along up to the front of the school and towards a group of people.

"Hey boys! I'd like you to meet Ally, my best friend."

The group of five boy's eyes drifted across her body, making her feel very uncomfortable.

They each had their own sly grins across their face and Ally decided to roll with it and smile flirtingly back. They were all extremely attractive and something about their smiles told her that they knew that they were attractive too, and that they were the most sought after boys in the school.

"Ally, this is Dez, Ethan, Chris, Paul, and Elliot", Austin introduced. Each of the boys took their turns scanning her.

"So this is _the _Ally. The girl from next door? The best friend since forever? Man, you've been holding back on us keeping this little hottie all to yourself" said Ethan smirk on his face. She felt Austin tense standing next to her. He relaxed when she looped her arm through his. A satisfied smile across both of their faces.

She rolled my eyes, and chucked. Boys were so stupid. But they had heard about her, so she only wondered what they had heard. They were all standing up now, moving from their original positions sitting down on the benches. They all had a body that told her they worked out, and must be Austin's team mates. Austin played centre on the Senior boys hockey team and he was captain of the team.

They were actually all really hot. And she thought they knew that too. Based on the smirks plastered on their faces, it was pretty obvious that they knew.

"So Ally? Are you coming to the big game tonight? We could sure use your support", Paul said suggestively.

"I swear, if you guys touch a hair on her pretty head, I will destroy you."

Ally scanned Austin's face carefully, and started laughing.

"Seriously. Austin, I think I can handle things myself. Stop being that over protective brother, and loosen up." She swatted his arm playfully.

"I'm not trying to be your brother", he mumbled quietly.

She rolled my eyes. And just as she did, a group of four girls came walking towards them. They were all wearing short skirts, skimpy tops, and high heels. So these were the school's Alpha girls. She made a mental note to avoid them as much as she could.

The middle girl, had long dark curly hair and darker skin, and walked right up to Austin and clung onto him. She pushed Ally out of the way like she was invisible. Austin stiffened immediately and looked uncomfortable. Ally almost felt bad for him, but more or less she felt a pit grow in her stomach.

"Hey Austie. How was your weekend?" the girl whispered into his ear, but it was still loud enough that Ally could hear it.

She tried to stifle her laugh, but she failed. _Austie._ That was funny; she was definitely going to tease him about that later.

Ally could feel him glaring daggers at her, so she shrugged with a grin on her face.

"Erm… it was okay."

"Why don't you take me out tonight and we could have a little fun. Remember last time. We had a lot of fun last time." She felt like gagging.

"Kira", Austin replied softly and annoyed with a long sigh. "I don't think so."

It was always annoying to have girls throw themselves at Austin. He was probably the best looking boy she had ever seen. But this was too much, she couldn't tell if it was her nerves still making her stomach hurt, or watching Austin get mounded by this girl.

"Come on Ally. Let's go find your schedule", one of the boys said putting his arm around my shoulder.

"Er, okay." I said looking at the boy. It was Dez.

"That was getting awkward and you didn't look to comfortable with Kira practically licking Austin's clothes off."

Ally laughed at his response. "You can say that again."

"So why do you think Austin forgot to mention that his little Ally was so damn hot."

"Er…"

Dez removed his arm from her shoulder as they walked down the hall way.

A pair of large arms wrapped around her shoulders. With a quiet squeak, she almost fell backwards from the shock. Austin started laughing. She sighed in relief realizing it was him.

"Hey, why did you leave? I would have walked you to get your schedule", replied a quiet voice in her ear, it sent shivers up her spine. She sensed he was slightly irritated, but so was she.

She elbowed him in the stomach.

"You are such a jerk. You scared the shit out of me." She shoved him into a locker playfully, and he laughed taking her hand in his. "Thanks for walking my girl Dez, but I'll take it from here."

Dez nodded and smirked wickedly before walking away.

"Sorry about him", Austin apologized.

"I like Dez. He's nice."

"That guy has been my best friend since middle school."

"What about me?" she said faking hurt.

"After you", he corrected himself. He removed his hand from hers and put his arm around her waist kissing her forehead again. She heard some small gasps from the people standing around them, but she ignored them.

"Okay, so here is the main office", Austin guided. He took one step into the office, leaving Ally to stare at a large display case. The case was lined with trophies that the school had earned over the years, pictures, metals, and ribbons. Her eyes stopped on one picture of Austin and his team members from the year before. Austin had the trophy hung high above his head in his arms. His team members were all cheering. She remembered that day well. He had invited her along to the game, but she said she couldn't make it. She surprised him at the end of the game. He was so happy after that.

"That is my second favourite day ever", Austin said as he draped an arm around her shoulder.

"What's your first?"

"The day we met", he said simply. Ally blushed, and smiled.

"Come on, let's go."


	3. When the world doesn't make sense

**Hi guys! I am not as happy with the response I've been getting; I was hoping for more reviews. I know that's a lot to ask, but I want to know what my reader's think about the story. How do you feel? I'll try to come up with some sort of incentive. :D On with it...**

* * *

**Chapter 3**: That crazy moment when the world doesn't make sense

* * *

_You can determine how confident people are by themselves _

_by listening to what they don't say about themselves._

**_-Brian G. Jett_**

* * *

Ally sat near the player's bench watching the boys play hockey. As it turned out, hockey was huge at their high school, and eighty percent of the school's population showed up at the game. Currently the teams were warming up in their respective ends of the arena, and practicing shooting pucks at the goalie.

Ally hadn't had much luck in the friend department at school that day, and was sitting alone with a steaming cup of hot chocolate in her hands which Austin had graciously given her the money for. Ally was quite prepared to be Austin's number one fan during the game, and definitely the loudest.

The loud whistle from the referees signaled for the boys to discuss game tactics with their coach, so they all skated to the player box. Ally stepped down as Austin waved her over. She happily skipped down towards him with a smile on her face.

"I didn't realize how good you looked in a uniform Austin", Ally said raising her eye brow at Austin royal blue team uniform. He was number 12, which made her smile. The number was special to both of them; twelve was both of their lucky number, they used it for everything. Not only were they both born on the twelfth, Ally in September, and Austin in April, but on December 12, 2012 they had one a contest together for a 6 month supply of free movie tickets from their local movie theatre. They both agreed that it was the best prize they had ever claimed.

"Well maybe that's because you hardly ever come see me play", he teased her. Austin was more than thrilled to have Ally there cheering him on, and he only hoped that she wouldn't be too distracting.

"That's all about to change mister. I'll be at ever one of your games from now on. And you can count on that."

"Oh I will be." Austin rested his arms on top of the side boards, and smiled at Ally.

"Good. Because I am your new good luck charm."

"Do I have a say in this?"

"Nope. It's already been decided, no time for arguments, the gods have spoken; I am your good luck charm." He laughed.

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

"MOON! Get you sorry ass over here. You can talk to your girlfriend after the game!" Austin's coach yelled.

Ally flushed in embarrassment. When her eyes met Austin's she saw that he was embarrassed too. She noticed how neither of them bothered to correct Austin's coach when he said that she was Austin's girlfriend.

"You should go", she told him. Austin nodded. "Good luck!"

"I'll see you after the game", he assured her. Ally watched as Austin skated back to his teammates. She saw Dez slap Austin on the back in a friendly way.

Ally sat back down in her seat. She noticed many people watching her, and tried to appear unaffected by the looks. She thought that people were simply curious about her since she was the new girl.

"Are you dating Austin Moon?" Ally heard the girl sitting next to her ask.

Ally slowly turned her head and saw a short Latino girl watching her reaction. The girl had long curly black hair, and smiled at her.

"Umm. No, we aren't dating. He's my best friend. That's all", Ally explained. People often commented on their relationship. They would frequently receive comments on how cute of a couple they made, which would have been flattering had they not been best friends.

"Really? Because I've never seen Austin act that way around any girl before. It looks like he worships you."

Ally laughed out loud.

"We are just friends."

"All right, I believe you", the girl put her hands up in a surrender motion. "I'm Trish."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Ally."

"I know who you are", Trish interrupted. Ally smiled, and raised an eye brow. "You are all everyone has been talking about at school today", she elaborated.

Ally groaned. She hated being the centre of attention.

"So what is the deal around here? Does everyone just enjoy staring, or do I have something on my face?" Ally asked satisfying her curiosity.

"There are a few reasons why people are staring Ally."

"Like what?" Ally hesitated. Trish smiled at her.

"Well first of all, you're hot, which means that all the boys are swooning over you. You have the entire hockey team placing bets on who can hook up with you first. Second, because the boys are lusting over you, every girl is prepared to eat you for dinner. Third, you have Austin Moon as your lap dog. And finally, you're the new girl." Ally sat in silence listening to the girl.

"Are you serious?" Ally asked in awe.

"I'm not joking if that's what you're asking. I'm surprised that the cheerleaders haven't already approached you to come join the team yet."

"Let's hope they never do either. I have no desire to join the squad."

"Great! That means we can be friends!" Trish exclaimed smiling.

Ally laughed. She liked Trish. They talked for most of the game. Trish explained to Ally everything she would want to know from boys, to people she wouldn't want to hang out with, to hot teachers, and the ones to avoid. Trish did a lot of the talking, but Ally was cool with that.

Austin's team was half way through the third period, when he scored his second goal, putting the team at a two goal advantage. Ally jumped up cheering.

"Way to do Austin!" she screamed. Austin heard her and waved in her direction smiling. She gave him two thumbs up, and went back to talking to Trish. "I forgot how good he was", she explained.

"His is the best player we have a Marino High", Trish replies. "I don't think they would win half as many of the games they do without him, that's how good he is."

* * *

Austin's team ended up winning the game after scoring another goal. Trish and Ally parted and Ally walked down to the dressing rooms where Austin told her to wait for him. Ally took the time to take in her surroundings. The arena appeared to be a fairly new facility, it was equipped with an Olympic sized swimming pool, a fitness room, and a track above the rink. To say the complex was large would be an understatement. She walked past large banners in which teams had earned from winning tournament and playoffs. There were pictures of successful local players who went off to become professionals.

"Pretty impressive, right?" a male voice spoke from behind Ally. Ally briefly turned to the voice, and a tall teenager around the age of nineteen was smiling at her. The boy had very short curly brown hair. He had bright green eyes, and a sparkly white smile. His green eyes were his best feature; they were daring, and secretive.

"Um, I guess so", ally replied unimpressed. Ally looked back at the picture, and then back to the boy. She did a double check when she saw that the boy in the photo had the same eyes, smile and hair as the one beside her. Her eyes went wide. "Wait, is that"-

"Yes, that's me."

"But you look like your nineteen; you couldn't possibly have gone on to the big leagues. You aren't old enough!"

"Anything is possible", he said with a sly grin on his face. Cocky.

"You think that's real impressive don't you?" Ally asked trying to hide the grin on her face.

"That's not true. I mean sure, it is exciting for guy to graduate high school and go straight on to the major leagues, after being drafted before the first cuts, and be named player of the game four times in one season. But impressive? Nah."

Ally tried to stifle a laugh, but couldn't.

"Very charming", Ally noted out loud, as he turned to walk towards Austin's dressing room.

"I am very charming."

"And by charming, I mean cocky", Ally replied.

"Most girls love a cocky guy", he imposed.

"I'm not most girls, and cocky does not look good on anybody."

"Clearly", he stated.

"Clearly?" she asked confused.

"Clearly, you aren't most girls."

"Are you suggesting that in order to be considered 'normal', I need to throw myself at you?" she asked raising an eye brow, slightly offended.

"I'm not suggesting anything, but it is in fact refreshing to have a bit of a challenge."

"Excuse me?"

"Do you want to go see a movie tonight?"

"Not really", she said trying to get on his nerves. He was one of the best looking boys she had ever seen, but she did not just want to fall at his feet. She would be lying if she said that she wasn't physically attracted to him.

"Great! We can go right now – wait, did you just say no?" he asked confused. He stopped mid-sentence, and his eyes were practically bulging out of his eyes. He obviously didn't get rejected very often.

"That's right", she replied smirking. She stopped at Austin's dressing room door and waited next to the boy who still hadn't told her his name. "Sorry, but you have yet to even tell me your name. I am not going out with someone I don't know."

"Smart girl", he replied, "I'm Cory."

"Well Cory, the answer is still no", she said firmly.

"Don't I get to know your name?"

She shook her head, refusing to speak anymore. Not because she was annoyed, but mostly just to see how far she could push him. And just as she did, Austin walked out of the dressing room with his bag around his shoulder. He noticed Ally right away.

"Ready to go Ally?" Austin asked. Ally winced at the sound of her name. Cory was still at her side. She could practically feel him smiling.

"Yah _Ally, _are you ready to go?" Cory asked mockingly. Ally groaned.

"Yah I'm ready Austin", she walked up to his side and took his hockey stick in her hands, trying to put some space in between her and Cory.

"See you at practice Moon! Hopefully I'll see you again Ally. That was a nice talk, maybe next time I'll be able to convince you to come to that movie with me." Austin had a clean cut frown marked on his face. It looked like the frown had been tattooed there.

"Don't count on it Cory!" she replied back. Austin and Ally walked together out of the arena and toward his truck.

"Is Cory on your team?" Ally asked as they walked through the parking lot.

"Not really. He is the assistant coach."

"He said that he played in the major leagues."

"He does. It's just the off season. So he practices and trains here. He used to play on the team a few years ago when he went to Marino, but since he graduated he is only here for a few months." Austin's voice was tired and drained.

"Is he any good?"

"Define good", Austin asked frowning. His brows seemed to furrow higher and his seemed to be impatient.

"You two don't get along?" Ally observed.

"I don't want to talk about it", Austin replied coldly.

"Okay", Ally replied in a small voice. She opened the door to the truck and sunk into her seat. She felt like she was being punished for being interested. Austin put his bag in the back of the truck. The entire ride home was cold and lengthy. Neither of them bothered to make conversation. Austin's lashing out made her feel like an ant in the presence of a giant; practically nothing. She wondered what made him upset, and hoped it wasn't her doing. But it couldn't have been her, she had done nothing wrong.

The problem was, she wasn't sure which way was which anymore.

Austin drove into his drive way and parked the truck. He got out just as Ally got out.

"Are we still on for the movie tonight? It is Monday. Monday night is movie night', she said with a half-smile. She hoped that he was just in a bad mood, and not angry with her.

His frustration seemed to disappear almost instantly. His entire body relaxed, and a smile cracked across his lips.

"Sure", he replied simply. And they walked into the house.

**And just as you finish, you feel a warm, soft breeze on the back of your neck. You hear a ghostly whisper, "Review it..." he says into your ear. But when you turn, it's not a ghost. It's the famous pop star the entire world is hung up on. Behind you. Whispering into your ear. Austin Moon. **

**Please review it guys! I'd love you forever!**


	4. When one door closes

**Chapter 4: When one door closes, the rest of them close behind it**

* * *

_Our love has been the thread through the labyrinth, the net under the high-wire walker, the only real thing in this strange life of mine that I could ever trust.  
__**- The Time Traveller's Wife**_

* * *

Two days later Austin and Ally were sitting across from each other in the library during the study period. They were near the back of the library, and Austin was tapping his fingers in tune to the music he had from his phone. He was reading a book for English class, and was flipping through the pages.

The past few days Ally had felt something different. Something new. It was like since she returned from her trip the entire world had moved forward and left her behind. Ally watched Austin closely, trying to figure out exactly what changed. She had to know.

She recalled the movie night, Austin has acted so strange. She never brought up the Cory topic, because it seemed to be a sore topic with Austin, but Austin was out of sorts for the rest of the night. It had also taken a toll on her mood, she didn't feel as close to him when he acted that way. It was like they both almost required some space to let the emotions fall way and absorb off the surface.

Even though it was study period, Austin took the time to listen to music and just relax. He believed that everyone needed some time of the day just to sit and not do anything productive. This was his time. He did have a novel in front of him for his English class today though.

His golden hair bounced as his head nodded to the music, his gaze was directed at the book, but Ally could tell that even though he was watching the letters, he was more focused on the lyrics of the song and their meaning.

Then his eyes closed, and he was completely focused on the music. His head was still bobbing slightly, but a small smile split on his face making a small curve of his pink lips. He looked peaceful and relaxed. His nodding wasn't extreme, it was only a slight movement, but noticeable.

The moment his eyes broke open, it scared Ally. She jumped in her seat. His gaze went directly to her, like he knew she was watching him. Their eye's met, and Ally smiled weakly and blushed. Austin smiled back at her, and shut his book realizing he had been reading the same line ten times over.

She lightly placed her shoeless feet on top of his. Her shoes were next to her chair, but she liked the feeling of bare feet when she wasn't walking. Austin looked satisfied with her movement.

"Ally?" Austin asked removing his ear buds from his ears. He paused his music, and crossed his arms on the table in front of him.

Ally raised an eye brow. Austin looked uncomfortable.

"Umm… I don't know how to ask this…" he dragged out.

Ally smirked at his ability to appear vulnerable. "Just say it Austin."

"Well the Senior Boy's Hockey team has this tradition… the players have to ask their girlfriend to wear their number during the home games. But since I don't have a girlfriend, I was wondering if you would wear my number." He finished with a wince. For once, Austin was not completely smooth. Whenever Ally saw him with a girl, he was slick and smooth, he saw what he wanted and he went for it. But Austin had never looked so small before.

"Your number?"

"Yes, my jersey number. 12." Their special number.

"Austin! Of course I'll wear your number!" Ally replied giddily. Austin's tense shoulder relaxed. It was like a weight was lifted off his shoulders.

"Were you afraid I was going to say no?"

"No! Yes… I don't know. I was… you know what, it doesn't matter. You said you would wear it, so it's settled."

"Why were you so nervous?" Ally asked pushing the subject.

"I wasn't nervous", Austin defended.

"You were nervous", she replied a matter-of-factly.

"Shut up."

"Austin, I think it's cute that you were nervous", Ally said without thinking.

It was Austin's turn to feel confident. "You thought I looked cute?" he asked with a raised eye brow.

"I umm… I thought it was flattering that you were nervous", she stuttered.

"You think I am good looking", he said smiling.

"I didn't say that."

"But you didn't deny it."

"You my friend are way too full of yourself." Austin laughed as Ally packed up her books and schoolwork. They both stood up at the same time and walked out of the library side by side.

"So what is the plan for tomorrow?" Austin asked.

"What's tomorrow?"

"Please, are we still playing that game?" he asked her with a grin. They walked down the hall of the school together, passing a few students. Some students provided glares, and others had curious stares.

"I have no idea what you are talking about?" Ally tried to play innocent. The end of the period bell rang.

"I was thinking, after school I would ditch practice, and steal you. I want to bring you out for your birthday."

"You want to ditch practice? What would your team say? Won't coach be angry?" Ally was surprised with his offer. He never missed a practice.

"That's just a minor formality" Austin replied with a small smile.

"You know, I can wait until after practice if you want."

"Never! What I have planned can't wait any longer." Ally smiled.

"What are we doing Austin?" she said pushing him lightly.

"It's a secret." His arm wrapped around her shoulder and pulled her close to him. He gently kissed her temple, and stopped outside her class room.

"Do I get any clues?"

Austin thought for a moment. Ally didn't let her eyes leave his. They sparkled.

"It will be a night to remember."

Austin opened the door for Ally, when they finally reached their destination. He kept his word, and didn't go to practice. In fact, he didn't even tell his coach. He told his friends, and they said that they would cover for him, but Ally knew it wasn't going to be that easy. With Austin as the captain and the star player, he wouldn't just be able to 'ditch' practice for a birthday.

He still refused to tell her where they were going, but he didn't blind fold her, so that was good.

"I heard that you slammed the cheerleaders today", Austin said as they walked down the side walk.

"I don't know if I would call it slammed, I just told them to shove their pompoms up their asses", Ally replied like it didn't mean anything. Austin started laughing in hysterics.

"I would have paid big money to see that."

"It was kind of funny", Ally replied guiltily.

"Did they do anything to you?"

"They told me that if I didn't join the squad then I couldn't be friends with you, it seemed like a reasonable response."

"That's my girl", Austin replied smiling.

"I don't know what is wrong with all the girls here. They are all crazy."

"I've never noticed that before."

"That because you're too busy banging all of them", she replied without thinking. Austin was silenced. "Sorry, I didn't mean that", she apologized quickly.

Austin avoided all eye contact.

"It's alright, let's just forget about it. It's time for your birthday surprise."

He stopped in front of a large brass door. The door was taller than the average door, and he removed keys from his pocket. Swiftly he unlocked the door with a great smile on his face. Ally examined the building. It was the old preforming theatre. She thought it was abandoned and empty.

"Austin, isn't this trespassing?"

"Ally, I have keys", he deadpanned.

"Well I was just asking. Where did you get those keys anyways?"

"I have my connections."

"Clearly."

"But seriously, are we allowed to be in here?" she asked as he stepped in to the building. She followed hesitantly behind him, careful not to touch anything.

"Stop worrying, trust me. Okay?"

Ally examined Austin's face. He waited for her agreement. His perfect face smiled gently down at her. Ally's smile faltered as their faces grew closer together. His thumb brushed her cheek. "You don't need to worry, okay? It's your birthday, I have it handled." Ally nodded slowly. "Good", he smiled, "Are you ready?"

She tried to forget about their closeness and Austin's touch as they walked through the lobby of the theatre. She tried to forget how if managed to change her heart rate completely and make breathing a task. The red carpeted floor was stained in places, and the furniture was covered in dust and grime. There were old promotional posters and signs lining the walls.

"Austin!" Ally shouted as she ran up to one of the posters.

"What?"

"It's AC/DC and Michael Jackson! They've preformed here before! That's insane!" Austin knew Ally loved classic rock bands. Her taste in music was different from the typical girl's; she liked rock, and indie. Another thing that they had in common.

"Really?"

"According to these poster's, yes!"

"You love them", he commented.

"Let's go in! I want to see the stage."

They passed the ticket stands and through the main theatres doors. This time Austin let Ally go in first, seeing as she was more comfortable and he wanted to see her reaction.

Ally's lips parted as she took in her surroundings. It was everything she ever imagined. There were balcony seats, and main floor. The red velvet seat still looked new. It was completely clean. The floor was dark brown hard wood and the walls were black. The stage was fantastic. It was hard wood, and the red curtains were closed across the stage. Ally could imagine being at a concert and dancing in the front row singing along to the performer at the top of her lungs.

She turned around to find Austin leaning on the door frame smiling.

"I still don't know what you have planned, but I am so happy you showed me this." She startled him when she wrapped her arms around his body. He welcomed her into his arms willingly and enjoyed her closeness.

Then she walked up to the front row of the seats. Austin left her alone and she sat down in the center of the row and inhaled deeply, taking in the musty air. Austin walked up onto the stage and pulled a large rope that pulled the curtain out of the way.

A beautiful grand piano sat alone on the stage without a spot light. Ally hopped up from her seat, and jumped on stage with Austin. They sat down side by side on the piano bench.

"Remember when I taught you to play the piano?" Ally asked Austin as she swiped her fingers across the top of the ivory keys.

"How could I forget a memory like that?"

"You were a difficult student", Ally accused.

Austin gasped quietly. "How could you say something like that? I was a protégée. The best of the best!" Ally raised an eye brow. "After you", he corrected. She laughed a hearty laugh, making him smiled.

Austin started tinkering on the keys to a melody Ally had never heard before. She found herself closing her eyes and leaning into his arm. The melody was just so mesmerizing.

"Where did you learn that?"

"Jackson."

"Mr. Jackson?" Austin nodded. "When?" she asked.

"Three weeks ago. I paid him a visit and asked if he had any new material I could practice. That's what I did while you were on vacation."

"It's beautiful", she admitted. Austin agreed.

"Now, I know you hate opening gifts in front of an audience, so I figured what better place than in a beautiful theatre where we are all alone."

"Austin, you d –"

"Ally just open it", he said passing her the carefully rapped gift. She didn't hesitate to rip it open. Wrapped in tissue paper was a gold chain bracelet, it had a heart charm with a small diamond in the center of the heart.

"Austin, it's beautiful. Thank you."

She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and buried her face in the side of his neck. She held on tightly and he did the same. It was like neither of them wanted to let go. It lasted too long to be just a friendly hug.

"Austin?" she mumbled still holding on to him.

"Mmhhmm."

"I really missed you", she said. The sentence had a double meaning. First, because she missed him while he was away, and second because it was hard when he kept his distance. She liked when he was close to her and touched her hand or held it. It made her happy.

"I missed you too", he replied after a few moments. Ally finally pulled away realizing that she had been holding on far too long. She started playing her favourite song on the piano, the one she had memorized.

Austin joined her and they began to play in harmony, until they both abruptly stopped when their hands accidentally touched on the keys. Ally felt a surprising jolt flake throughout her body. They both froze, but at the same time they both turned their heads towards each other, and before they know it they are leaning in. Their faces grow closer and closer to a point where they are only centimeters apart.

That's when reality strike her.

_Don't do this! _Her subconscious tells her. _You'll ruin everything, years of friendship down the drain! Don't mess this up, pull away you prick, you wouldn't really think about kissing your best friend would you? Don't worry it was just in the moment, not a problem. You just got caught up in his dreamy eyes, and his perfectly carved jaw. His gorgeous blond hair – Cut it out! Stop lusting!_

Then she pulled away, with a tinge of blush highlighting her cheeks. Austin pulled away too, his face lined with an unmistakable frown. It makes Ally want to cry. His eyes are narrowed and his jaw firmed.

"I have another surprise", Austin said after a few awkward moments of silence. He stands up and Ally follows her keeping her distance. She wonders how long it will take to go back to normal, if it would be better to just pretend that the almost kiss never happened. She wonders just how far she can separate herself from Austin to a point where they are still acting the same as before, but without ruining anything. Then she wonders if she is already too late; if she has already ruined everything. She follows Austin anyway.

A/N: PLEASE READ

Happy Friday my lovelies!

NEWS FLASH!

Cory will be back in the next chapter. More drama. I'll explain more about him in the next chapter. I know everyone would really like that. Just you wait, it is going to be pretty intense in a few chapters. I have it all planned out and hopefully you will love it! Also, to answer a few questions… Auslly isn't just going to 'happen'. It's going to take a while. But be patient, it will come. Just wait. I don't want to rush anything and I think that the relationship development will be challenging for these two. In their case, I'm worried that turning a friendship into a romantic relationship is going to be difficult for them (not me)

Also, I went on a cruise over Xmas Break, (yaayyy!) so I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while. I'm aware and I apologize for the waiting, I know it's tough. Next week I have exams so it might be a while until I update again, but I should have much more time once February starts.

One final note, I need reviews to continue. I'm getting a great amount of views, but how am I supposed to know if my readers are happy with what they are reading. To those who have been reviewing, thank you. I appreciate the feedback. I have so many ideas!

Question: If you had a million dollars, would you:

a) Travel the world (I'd go on an African Safari because I want a pet baby tiger)

b) Go Shopping (why not, I like stuff)

c) Put it towards your education and save for the future (invest in your smarts)

d) Charities

e) Do something crazy! Eg. Buy a ticket for a spaceship ride to the moon! (or to outer space if you have a peeving fright of the moon (it's made of cheese))

f) Other (buy a boat and live on it forever *a really big boat*)


	5. The probability of ruining a friendship

**Chapter 5: The statistical probability of ruining a friendship**

* * *

_I'm scared of walking out of this room and never feeling the rest of my whole life the way I feel when I'm with you.  
__**-Dirty Dancing**_

* * *

"Where are we going now?" Ally asked not looking away from the window. Her voice was dark and sad. It sounded empty to Austin. Apparently, the cars passing by in the lane next to theirs was more interesting than looking at Austin. She didn't dare look back. The city passing by was illuminated by lights, the sky was dark though, but not dark enough that she could see stars.

"We just need to stop by Dez's before…" Austin trailed off.

"Before what?" Ally asked. Uncontrollably, her gaze directed at Austin. She silently cursed herself.

"Uh… I can't tell you?" he said it as a question and winced at the sound of his own voice. Ally groaned.

"Why not?" she whined.

"Cause, it's a surprise. We just have to make a quick stop at Dez's and then we can go."

"Fine."

There was an awkward silence.

"What do you think your coach said when you didn't show up for practice?"

"Probably nothing", he said nonchalantly. Ally snorted. "What?" Austin asked amused.

"You don't actually think that. That's what you hoping he said."

"You're right, what do _you_ think he said?" he asked with a smile

"WHERE THE HELL IS AUSTIN! DOESN'T HE KNOW WHAT THE STAKES ARE HERE? THE ENTIRE TEAM IS COUNTING ON HIM! WHERE IS THAT BOY?" Ally said loudly imitating the coach.

Austin winced, and readjusted his hands on the steering wheel.

"Wow Ally, that was harsh", he said jokingly.

"What can I say? I do a pretty good impression of your coach."

"You could pass for twins", he agreed.

Ally laughed and Austin joined in.

Austin pulled into Dez's drive way.

"Okay, I'll be right back. I'm just going to talk to Dez for a few minutes. If I am in there for more than 5 minutes you might need to come help us."

"Sure, but help you with what?"

"We might need help… lifting something", he said after a few seconds.

"Lifting what?"

"I don't know", he admitted. "Dez just said he needed my help for a few minutes after practice. He wants to show me something quick. He said I would be really interested."

"Okay."

"See you soon", he said shutting the door behind him.

Ally released a sigh as the tension seemed to disappear with Austin as he walked into the house alone. He didn't even knock on the door; he just walked in without looking back. She realized that since the moment she came back from her vacation, there was something completely different about her relationship with Austin, and she even wished that she had never gone on the trip in the first place. She hated all the unnecessary tension and the arguments and the accidental almost kissing. Well she didn't hate it because she thought that it also might be nice to kiss Austin, but that was out of the question! Based on his reaction, he probably thought it would have been gross. He probably just thought of her as a sister anyways.

Then she became saddened, because she didn't want to be considered a sister by Austin. She liked when he touched her and held her, when he talked sweet to her and bought her hot chocolate. And she hated the idea of another girl even looking Austin's way.

The digital clock struck 7:00. Austin had been inside for 10 minutes and she was getting bored. He did say to come in after 5 minutes, so she removed the keys from the ignition and quietly walked up to the front door of Dez's house.

Right before her fist claimed the surface of the wooden door it swung open.

"Ally! Hurry, come in!" Dez yelled grapping her arm gently.

Ally squeaked, and followed closely behind.

"Where's Austin?" she asked slightly worried. The dark house made it difficult to see, and she started to worry that Dez may have killed Austin in his basement. But that would be ridiculous.

"He's in the backyard", replied Dez.

"Is that where we are going?" she asked.

"You ask a lot of questions Ally", Dez commented. "You should stop."

Ally eyed Dez carefully, realizing that she did in fact trust the boy and he led her to the back door. He opened the backdoor leading to a patio that was illuminated by colourful lights.

There were almost 50 people there waiting. They stood patiently holding drinks and food in their hands.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" they cheered. Music started blaring, people started dancing and singing, even people that Ally had never seen before.

Arms wrapped around her from behind. Ally recognized the arms and held on tightly closing her eyes in comfort. She turned around and hugged Austin, planting a friendly kiss on his cheek.

"I can't believe you put this whole thing together, Austin. This is amazing!" Ally said with a goofy grin on her face.

Feeling satisfied with the kiss on the cheek he put an arm around her and led her to his team mates.

All 15 of them were chatting and discussing the game coming up.

"Hey, it's the birthday girl!" Ethan shouted over the music. He maneuvered around the other team mates and gave Ally a brief hug. Austin shoved Ethan causing him to move back to his previous position.

"Ethan? What did coach say when Austin wasn't at practice?" Ally asked suggestively, she smirked at Austin. Austin rolled his eyes and hip bumped Ally causing her to almost fall over. "Careful!" she glared at him.

"Coach? Oh he was pissed. I don't think I've ever seen him so angry", Ethan replied. Ally couldn't hold a laugh inside as she tried to picture their coach with a red face breaking a clip board. "Except then we told him that Austin's aunt died that afternoon, and he softened up a bit. But he said that it was still no excuse."

"Oh? Which Aunt?" Ally asked jokingly looking at Austin.

"Seriously? Now I have to come up with a whole new story for my Aunt dying. He is going to be wondering when the funeral is and why I'm not there."

"Dude that's your problem. We just come up with the excuses", Ethan shrugged laughing.

"If he knew that you were really out with Ally, we would probably blow a fuse and kill Ally", Dez laughed throwing an arm around Ally's shoulder.

"What?" Ally squeaked.

"Oh don't worry, we wouldn't let his hurt you", Dez replied.

Austin shook his head laughing.

"Were you guys all in on this party?" Ally asked.

"Yep. We had to make sure that the coolest girl in the school had the best party of the year", Ethan replied.

"I can't believe I had no idea", Ally said honestly.

"Well my boys are good at keeping secrets", Austin replied. "Thanks guys by the way. For setting up the party, and covering for me. I really appreciate it."

"Yah thanks boys!" Ally replied with a cute smile. "I think I'll go talk to Trish", she whispered in Austin's ear and patting him on the shoulder.

* * *

"You did not! Ally this is great!" Trish shouted over the loud music. Some people in hearing distance turned heads towards the two girls and passed glances. Ally sighed and led her into Dez's house.

They walked into the kitchen where there weren't any people.

"No Trish, it's not great. It will ruin everything."

"But the boy is clearly in love with you!" Ally had just told Trish about the fact that she and Austin had almost kissed on the piano bench in the theatre.

"No, he's not. You should have seen his face, he looked disgusted. I can only imagine what would have happened and how he would have reacted if we actually kissed. We probably wouldn't be here. I thought you would get it, but you don't", Ally said sighing.

"No, you don't get it. The boy brought you to a theatre where he gave you your expensive birthday present and almost kissed you, because he is in love with you. Then he plans a huge birthday party behind your back just to surprise you. If you can't see that he likes you. And I mean like likes you, then you are the delusional one here Ally, not me." Ally stayed silent processing what Trish had just said.

"Okay, so let's assume that he does like me. Then what? I kiss him and it becomes awkward? Then all those years of friendship flushed down the toilet. That is not worth the risk. Plus, I don't even know how I feel about all of this. These feelings I've been getting, they've just started happening, and they haven't been going on for very long, what if they disappear just as fast?"

"You never know until you try I guess. Some things are worth the risk", Trish advised. Trish walked over to the sink in Dez's kitchen, she poured herself a glass of water and turned back to Ally. "Just remember that okay?"

"Something is up with Austin too", Ally admitted.

"He's been keeping things from me lately. Secrets. He doesn't talk as much as before. He's quieter. He's… distant", Ally said as she watched Austin laughing with his friends through the kitchen window. He acted different around them than with her. Not a lot, but he looked like he was more upbeat with them. Dez smacked Austin on the back playfully as he took a swing of beer from the bottle in his hands.

"What kind of… secrets", Trish asked cautiously.

"Oh, I don't know. Like last week at the hockey game. I asked him about Cory and he was so sour", Ally said.

"Hot Cory? Cory Haynes? The Cory who asked you out?"

Ally nodded.

"Well then, I understand, any guy who his interested in you is bound to annoy Austin", Trish chuckled.

"No, that's not it. There's been a conflict between the two of them. Austin hates Cory, and I don't know why."

"Weird. It takes a lot for Austin to hate someone", Trish replied.

"I know. It's so unlike him."

"But I'm not completely surprised. In tenth grade coach had Austin and Cory competing for the center position on the first string. Austin got the position and Cory was kicked back to defence. Cory was pretty angry. I think that was the start of it. Cory also may or may not have slept with the girl that Austin was with at the time to get back at him. That's just a rumor."

"What? That's awful. I am no longer attracted to Cory at all", Ally replied disgusted in Cory's behaviour.

"You are so lucky", Trish sighed.

"What do you mean?"

"You have the two hottest boy's in town after you and you don't even care. Let's go change that! It's time for some drinking games. He need to get you in the partying mood", Trish danced around the kitchen pulling Ally's hand.

"But-"

"No buts. Let's go!"

* * *

"Ally! Ally! Ally!" the teenagers cheered as Ally swallowed another shot while dancing on the table next to two other girls. She was laughing and singing to the music and people were cheering along to her off key singing.

The song finished and even her overly consumed with alcohol mind knew that it was time for a break. She turned around briefly and looked for Austin, Dez or Trish. At least someone she knew she could trust with her drunken body.

A hand moved towards her but stopped midway, it was held out to help her to come down from the table.

Her eyes floated to the body of the hand, where bright green eyes awaited her with a lavish grin.

"Man, if I would have known you were putting on a show, I would have showed up hours ago", Cory said as Ally accepted his hand and jumped down from the table.

"I've never done anything like that before in my life, so I surprised myself too", Ally admitted.

"I knew you had it in you", Cory said.

"I don't know if I should take that as a compliment or if I should be offended by it", Ally replied.

Cory laughed, but it wasn't meant as a joke. Drunken Ally laughed along with him anyways.

"Do you normally crash high schoolers parties?" Ally asked sitting down on the wooden log surrounding the campfire. Cory sat next to her.

"Only when they are parties with really pretty girls there."

Drunken Ally blushed. But drunken Ally realized that she couldn't have been that drunk, because she could still remember what Trish had told her just an hour before, and it didn't seem to matter anymore. She was with a really hot boy on her birthday. A really hot boy with really dreamy green eyes and perfect brown hair.

"You are ridiculous", Ally replied after a minute of silence.

"I know", Cory replied smiling. His thigh was touching hers ever so slightly.

"Why would you even want to come to a party with minors anyways? Don't you have college buddies who are closer to your age?"

"Jeez… that was harsh. I guess you don't want me here", he joked.

"Well it's what I am thinking. It's a little strange."

Ally watched him closing turning away from the bright orange fire. Cory sighed

"The truth is… I haven't been able to stop thinking about you. You're so different from every other girl I've ever been with."

"You've never been with me either", Ally pointed out.

"I know, but I want to change that. I want to go out with you", Cory replied.

Ally chucked. "You're too old for me", she replied.

"Only two years older!" he exclaimed.

"What if I say that I'm just not interested in you?" she asked.

"Then I'd say that your lying", Cory replied smiling, but there was so seriousness in his voice. He was looking directly into her eyes.

The alcohol began to take over; she started to lean in just as his hand cupped her chin tilting her face towards his.

He kissed her softly and chastely before pulling away. It surprised Ally that he was being so careful with her, he didn't seem like that type of guy.

She looked back at the party and saw that people were still laughing and dancing. Her eyes roamed for a certain pair of eyes and stopped on them. They were watching hers as well, and in a total of .2 seconds she realized that kissing Cory was a mistake.

The eyes turned away and so did the body. She had never seen eyes so innocent and accusing at any moment in her life.

She suddenly felt like she was being stabbed in the stomach.

Austin should have never seen her kiss Cory.

* * *

_Reviews are kind of cool._


	6. We all fall down

**Chapter 6: We all fall down**

* * *

_"I learned a lot about falling in love when I fell out of love. I learned a lot about being a friend when I was alone."_

**– Anonymous**

* * *

The weekend passed by slowly. Ally hadn't talked to Austin since her party, and even if she did, she wouldn't know what to say. When she did see Austin from across the yard he acted like nothing was wrong, but he didn't make a move to come talk to her either. It was strange because Ally wanted to march up to Austin and demand that he tell her what was on his mind.

Ally got a ride to school with Trish on Monday instead of her usual ride with Austin. She made sure to leave a message on his phone telling him of her plans so he wouldn't be waiting for her in the morning. She tried to make the message sound as light as possible and not that she was avoiding him as much as he was avoiding her. He never replied to her message.

At school in the hallways Monday morning, Trish asked her about her weekend and gave her all the details about how successful the party had been Friday night.

"People will be talking about your party for months. It was awesome! You're super lucky to have Austin as your best friend", Trish told her. The news seemed to make Ally deflate. Though she should be happy for the successful party, she felt like Austin was slipping out of her fingers.

She saw Austin walking down the hall with his friends. Feeling bold she walked in front of his path, making sure that they could talk.

"Hey, Ally. Everything okay?" he asked, with a big grin. It was like nothing had happened at all. Ally nodded and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly. He didn't respond at first, he just stood there, and then slowly he wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her hair. "Ally, what's up?" he asked, pulling back to look at her. "If someone's upset you I swear to God I'll – " he started.

"No one's upset me. I've just missed you", she interrupted hushing him.

He smiled a weak smile; he obviously knew what she was talking about. "I missed you too."

"Come on, Ally, we'll be late for class!" Trish shouted, making her jump.

Austin smiled. "Get going then. I'll see you after school," he instructed, stepping to the side to let Ally past. Just as she got past him, he slapped her ass playfully. Ally sighed happily and walked off without saying a word. Hopefully the worst was behind them. She was glad that she made the first move. She was afraid that if she didn't it would never happen, and they'd never talk again. That would be pretty extreme though.

* * *

Friday came, and it was Austin's home game night. The week went on without disturbance. Everything was back to normal again. Austin was driving Dez, Trish and Ally together that night to the hockey arena, and afterwards he was taking them all back to his house where they'd watch a movie and stay up late.

With the four friends, laughing came effortlessly and they talked the entire way there. Austin and Dez sat in the front seats and Trish and Ally in the back. Ally sat behind Austin, and Trish behind Dez.

"So, you still gonna wear my number?" Austin asked, grabbing her hand to help her out of his car once they got to the arena. He didn't let go as they walked to the arena towards the boy's locker room. Ally smiled. Everything seemed to be back to normal between them since the past weekend, and it seemed to be forgotten. So she sighed happily.

"I sure am, that is if you still want me to," Ally replied, biting her lip a little bit nervously.

He grinned. "Of course I do. You're my best friend, Ally."

Her heart dropped a little but she couldn't figure out why. She was his best friend, nothing more. So, why did she suddenly want to be more?

He pulled her into the boys change room with him. "Hey, she can't come in here!" someone shouted as Ally was dragged inside.

Her eyes went wide; there were half naked boys everywhere. "Oh," Ally muttered, smirking. She glanced around the room, raking her eyes slowly over each of the boys in turn.

Austin laughed and put his hand over her eyes. "Come on, little girl, let's get that shirt for you and then you can go!" he said laughing and leading her forwards. She could hear whistles and comments that made her laugh.

Austin muttered something that sounded like 'shut the fuck up' and then he put something in her hands. Still covering her eyes, he pushed her forwards again.

Once they were outside the door, Ally giggled. "Mmm, thanks for that! You know, I could have just waited out here", Ally said.

"I don't know why I didn't think of that", he said rolling his eyes with an easy smile. "Want me to walk you to your seats?" he offered, slinging an arm around her shoulder walking with her down the hallway and towards the lobby. On the other side of the door, the lobby was full of students supporting their classmates. Everyone was dressed up, wearing war makeup, and school colours. People had horns and clapping devices that they would use when Austin's team scored and won the game. People were excited.

She shook her head and laughed at his sweetness. He had always been like this to her, ever since they were kids he'd walk her to places because he was worried about Ally getting hurt. "Thanks, but I think I can make it."

He chuckled too. "Okay. I'll see you after the game."

"Good luck!" Ally cheered.

He smiled and headed back into the locker room. As soon as the door opened, she could hear his team mates teasing him about her. She just smiled and looked down at the jersey in the hands. It was a huge royal blue shirt. She turned it round to look at the writing on the back. 'MOON 12'. Ally smiled and slipped it on over her tight black top and light blue skinny jeans. She walked into the lobby and out to the stands with a big grin where she sat with Trish, watching the game and fooling around.

* * *

There was no surprise when Austin's team won. They won the game with flying colours. Trish and Ally waited on the stands for Austin where Ally was sure that she could avoid Cory and making a scene with him.

She was wrong, apparently he had seen her wearing Austin's jersey and was 'curious' as he put it.

"You're dating Austin? Were you dating Austin when we kissed?" he asked walking towards the two girls. Trish stayed quiet, listening to the conversation, but pretending to be texting someone.

"We aren't dating, but he is my best friend, so he asked me to wear it."

"Seems more like a girlfriend's job if you ask me." Cory looked confused. He thought that Ally would approach him after they kissed, not the other way around. "Are you busy tonight?" Cory asked.

"Yep", she replied simply.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm heading over to Austin's later with a few other people and we are going to watch a movie", she replied with a smile.

He took in a breath. "Well, I guess I'll have to try to find someone else to bring to dinner with me", he tried to play off her rejection.

"I guess you will", Ally tried not to laugh. Cory looked sad, and Ally felt bad that she rejected him. "Come on Trish, we should go. Bye Cory. See you around."

"Maybe we could go on a date sometime?"

"Maybe", Ally said open ended, and smiling. Cory just wouldn't give up.

* * *

"So what are you going to do about Cory Haynes?" Trish asked putting her cellphone into her purse as they walked into the lobby of the arena.

"I don't know", Ally admitted.

"Well you need to do something. By the looks of it, that boy isn't going to give up for a while."

"I guess I could talk about it with Austin."

"You should. If you can't be with Austin, you should at least try going out with Cory. You deserve that Ally. Plus, Cory is really hot! And he's into you!"

"He is really hot" Ally agreed. Cory's bright green eyes popped into her head, and his perfect body, she left bad for lusting over him. She didn't even know him.

"So what are you waiting for?"

"What about you?" Ally said changing the subject.

"What about me?" Trish asked smiling.

"Austin said that you and Dez went out last night. Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because it wasn't a big deal!" she said defensively.

"Trish, it's a big deal. So…. How was it? Did he kiss you? Did you like it?"

Trish sighed and sat down on a bench in the lobby. Ally sat next to her. A grin spread across Trish's face.

"We had a lot of fun. He took me to that Italian restaurant downtown. Then went to the carnival on the beach for a few hours. It was really great."

"Aww", Ally cooed, "that sounds like so much fun."

"It's too bad you and Austin aren't dating, then we could go out on double dates", Trish suggested.

Ally rolled her eyes and tried not to imagine what that might look like. Because the truth was, once she started to imagine, she wouldn't be able to stop.

"Hey beautiful! Ready to go?" Austin asked as he walked up to Ally and Trish. Ally hopped up and hugged Austin before grabbing his hockey stick as usual, and intertwining their free hands.

"Oh yes! I am definitely ready! Great game by the way, you were awesome out there."

"Oh yah?" he asked smiling. He looked really happy.

"You're the best they've got", she stated smiling and swinging their held hands.

* * *

Dez and Trish stayed in the living room preparing the movie. Against the girls wishes the boys decided on a horror movie. Austin's parents were away for the weekend but had agreed to let them have a movie night on the condition that there was no alcohol. But they wouldn't have done that anyways. Ally and Austin were preparing snacks in the kitchen.

"How about we do a bet?" Austin asked as he put the popcorn into the microwave. "You know to make thinks more entertaining." Ally peered into the refrigerator and grabbed four cans of soda off the bottom shelf before turning to Austin.

"A bet?" Ally asked wincing. "But I always lose your bets", she whined. It seemed that the bets Austin created were always one sided.

"Let's say, the first person to get scared during the movie loses", he said ignoring her comment

"What are we betting for?"

"If you lose, I choose someone who you have to kiss. If I lose, then you choose someone who I have to kiss. Simple", he said smiling.

"A kiss?" Ally asked surprised.

"Do you want to shake on it? Or are you to chicken?" Austin said with a smirk.

"Oh no way. I will beat you at this bet! You'll see. You're the one who should be worried."

Austin laughed.

"You're on!"

* * *

Austin, Ally, Trish and Dez all at side by side on the floor in front of the couch, in that order, with their backs leaning against the front of the couch. They had set up sleeping bags, blankets and pillows to make the floor more comfortable, although Ally would be the only one staying the night.

Dez had brought the movie, _Cabin in the Woods _a horror film about five friends who go to a remote cabin in the woods which he borrowed from his uncle for the occasion.

It was ten minutes into the movie and Ally already felt like biting off her nails on all of her fingers one by one. She had her arms wrapped around her knees and a blanket around her shoulders. She tried to appear calm, cool, and collected but that only went so far while she was watching a horror movie.

"Chris Hemsworth, I swear to god, if you open that door – Aw shit. Screw you Hemsworth, screw you!" Trish shouted at the television.

Austin laughed at Trish's commentary. But Ally's eyes stayed glued to the screen.

"Why would someone even do that?" Trish whispered this time.

"No not again! Don't they hear that! Something is after them! Oh shit!"

"Trish would you stop!" Ally finally turned to her Latino friend. "You're making me nervous."

"I don't think that is Trish, Ally. I think that's the movie", Austin said putting an arm around Ally. "Don't worry, I'll protect you." Ally wanted to be annoyed and push him away but the warmth of his body and his strong well-built bod made that impossible, she moved closer to him.

Austin grabbed a handful of popcorn when a dark figure popped out in front of the five friends on the screen scaring Ally and making her jump further into Austin hiding her face. Ally hid her face in his chest. Austin didn't laugh when he spilt his popcorn, instead he held her tightly against his chest, and rubbed her back in a comforting manor.

He still watched the screen, and Ally managed to return her face to the screen only to be scared a few minutes later.

"Those guys are idiots", she mumbled into Austin's shirt.

Austin chuckled and twirled a strand of Ally's hair with his fingers. When the man on the screen appeared with an axe and swung at the girl Austin jumped, accidentally pulling Ally's hair.

"Ow", Ally whined.

"Sorry."

* * *

Trish and Dez left after the movie finished leaving Austin and Ally to clean up, and spend the rest of the night together.

"I can't believe that Dez fell asleep. He chose the movie!" Ally exclaimed.

"Dez finds horror movies relaxing. I thought for sure that Trish's comments would wake him up though."

"Why did he choose that movie anyways", Ally grumbled. "I am going to have night mares for weeks. I will never be able to go to the cottage again without scaring the shit out of myself."

"I can't believe how scared you were", Austin laughed.

"Hey, I was not _that _scared", Ally defended.

"Are you kidding? 'Holy freak'n shit Austin. Why did he open the closet door'" Austin mimicked.

"Shut up", Ally flushed, "you jumped a few times too."

"Yah but nothing compared to you", he said laughing.

Ally rolled her eyes and took a hand full of popcorn out of the bowl.

"So, about my prize…." Austin said shifting his body towards Ally's on the couch.

Ally groaned. "Okay fine. Who? Don't make it a teacher or something though because I'm not doing that. And I really don't want it to be a girl!" she grumbled, turning my nose up but giggling at the same time.

"Nope, I'll make it easier for you than that," he replied playfully.

Ally shut her eyes wondering why on earth she had agreed to the bet in the first place. His bets never went well for her. "Okay, so who do I have to kiss?"

Austin didn't say anything for a few minutes.

"Austin, who do I have to kiss?" she repeated, feeling tired of the bet already. She knew that she would regret ever agreeing to the bet.

* * *

_Reviews, maybe?_

_Who do you think Austin is going to make Ally kiss?_


	7. The kiss of death

**Chapter 7: The kiss of death**

* * *

_"If ever there is tomorrow when we're not together, there is something you must always remember: you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is: even if we're apart, I'll always be with you." _

**_– Winnie the Pooh_**

* * *

_Previously on The Way Back Home_

"So, about my prize…." Austin said shifting his body towards Ally's on the couch.

Ally groaned. "Okay fine. Who? Don't make it a teacher or something though because I'm not doing that. And I really don't want it to be a girl!" she grumbled, turning my nose up but giggling at the same time.

"Nope, I'll make it easier for you than that," he replied playfully.

Ally shut her eyes wondering why on earth she had agreed to the bet in the first place. His bets never went well for her. "Okay, so who do I have to kiss?"

Austin didn't say anything for a few minutes.

"Austin, who do I have to kiss?" she repeated, feeling tired of the bet already. She knew that she would regret ever agreeing to the bet.

"A proper kiss, with tongues," he clarified, biting his lip. She nodded and rolled her eyes. She knew what the terms of the bet were, she just wanted to get it over with. She imagined being forced to kiss one of the weirdest students in her grade, or something crazy. "Me," he whispered, bending his head down slowly. Ally's eyes went wide and her entire body froze.

Suddenly he moved and grabbing her chin, he turned her face to the side and sucked hard on her neck.

She giggled at the feel of it; it always made her laugh when he did this. She raised her hands trying to push him off, but he just gripped her wrists and pinned them above her head, and carried on sucking on the same spot. After a couple of seconds he pulled back and looked at it, nodding with a satisfied expression on his face.

"What the hell was that for?" she asked, laughing again. The grin on his face was priceless.

He looked really pleased with himself. "Just marking my territory," he answered, kissing her forehead and climbing off of her, pulling her up "Come on!" he said. "I bought Fruity Mint Swirl! We can go eat it in my room before we go to bed."

A smile spread across her face, grateful that he had gotten her favourite ice cream flavour to snack on.

* * *

"So what will it be Ally? Fruity mint swirl, or cookies and cream?" Austin asked as he flopped down on the bed next to Ally. Ally had changed into her pyjamas and waited for Austin to return to his room with the ice cream.

Ally grabbed the fruity mint swirl out of his hands with a giant grin on her face. Austin laughed. "I don't even know why I asked."

His pyjamas consisted of pyjama pants, but no shirt. Ally tried hard not to focus on the perfectly carved six pack on his chest, and instead on his words.

He started talking about hockey and how his team was finishing top of the league to far. He mentioned how they had qualified for the regionals and how he thought that they had a very good chance at winning.

"So did you have fun at the party last week?" Austin asked abruptly surprising Ally. She didn't think he would ever bring that up.

"Yah I had fun. You guys really do know how to throw a party."

Austin nodded but his expression was still serious.

"I didn't think Cory would show up" he commented. Ally sighed and set her ice cream down.

"Austin, why don't you just ask the question that is really on your mind?" She crossed her legs in front of her.

He sighed, but didn't pause. "Why did you kiss him?"

"I was drunk. I didn't even realize I was doing it. And he was acting so nice, it just happened. If I wasn't drunk it wouldn't have happened", she replied defensively.

"Did you like it?" Austin asked worriedly.

"Why would you ask that? I don't remember", Ally replied honestly.

"I don't know, I'm just worried about you. I don't like it when you are around him. He's not a good person Ally."

"How do you know?"

"I just do. We have… history. And we don't exactly get along."

"What did he do?" Ally asked curiously. She had been secretly wondering about their differences for weeks. Austin shifted in the bed uncomfortably.

"When he was in high school, I was in tenth grade. He always pushed me around on the ice during practices and sometimes in games. I always just thought it was because he wanted to be that jerk senior. But as soon as coach had me pushed to center, and Cory back to defence it got worse. Remember when you were off at that boarding school in tenth grade?" Ally nodded. "During that time he sent some of his friends to beat me up one afternoon after practice – "

"Well that's not fair", Ally grunted.

"He eventually apologized. He sounded sincere, but I still don't trust him."

Ally nodded understandingly. She thought he would pick up his ice cream again and start eating more, but he didn't. His expression remained still, and concerned.

"What's wrong?" she asked quietly. There was something he wanted to tell her. She knew him well enough to know when he wanted something.

"About that bet earlier," he whispered, moving his face a little closer to hers.

Her heart sped up. She'd forgotten all about the bet. He didn't really want her to kiss him, did he? She could feel his warm sweet breath blowing across her face.

"Yeah?" she croaked nervously. Ally wasn't sure what to do. It was a bet, and they'd never backed out of a bet before. He would have kissed whoever she chose if the outcome had been different.

"I want to claim my prize," he whispered, rolling forward slightly so that she was now half underneath him, his chest pressed against hers, pinning her to the bed.

"Austin, what the – ?" she gasped, but he was already inching his head towards her. She froze, not knowing what to do, so she did nothing.

Gently his lips grazed across hers, so lightly that she could barely feel it. He pulled back to look at her again. "Can I kiss you?" he whispered huskily.

"For the bet?" she asked, still confused. Why would he even want to kiss her in the first place? He nodded, looking a little sad for some reason. "Umm…. okay."

As soon as the words left her mouth, he brought his lips to her, kissing her tenderly and passionately. He kissed her like he had done it a million times before. His soft lips fitted hers perfectly, setting her body on fire. He traced his tongue along her bottom lip and Ally opened her mouth, eager for more. Austin's hands travelled over her body gracefully, and pleasantly.

Ally had kissed a few other guys in her lifetime. But nothing like that. Austin's kiss left paralyzed.

She brought her arms up and wrapped them around his neck, tangling her hands into his hair, trying to get him closer to her. He made a small moaning sound in the back of his throat that made her body start to tingle. He pulled away, only to kiss along her jaw line and down her neck, making her moan this time. She felt his hand move up her thigh to rest on her hip, before gently slipping under my top to trace his fingers across my stomach and sides.

Then she froze, realizing exactly what she was doing. _She was kissing her best friend. She was MAKING OUT with her best friend. _That was not in the best friend code. She put her hands on to his chest and gave him a small shove.

He immediately pulled back to look at her for a couple of seconds before taking a deep breath and sitting up. His eyes were wide with concern when he saw the look on her face. "Holy shit, I'm sorry, Ally. I'm so sorry." He groaned, putting his hands up to cover his face. He looked really upset. She sat up so she was sitting in front of him and moved his hands away so that she could see his face. She didn't like when he put up this wall in front of his emotions. She wanted him to be open with her. They never kept secrets and they were not about to start now.

"Austin, what was that? Why did you do that? I mean, not that it wasn't good because it was… but, I mean… what?" Ally stammered, confused and embarrassed. She felt like crying too. She couldn't let this be the thing to ruin their friendship. She could feel the blush burning her cheeks even though she was on the verge of crying.

He gulped. "I don't know. I shouldn't have done that. I'm so sorry, please forgive me," he begged, looking at her with pure horror across his face. She wasn't sure what was scarier, the look on his face or the movie they watched earlier that night. She decided it was a tie.

She wasn't sure if she was capable of answering but her mouth moved anyways.

"Austin, its fine, it shouldn't have happened, can we both agree on that? I don't want things to change between us, do you? You're my best friend in the whole world, I couldn't lose you," Ally replied with her voice cracking, and her eyes started tearing up. She felt her heart breaking as it fell to the floor. Any hopes of ever being with Austin were completely gone, because that kiss had answered all of her questions.

Yes. Kissing Austin was the best thing she's ever gone.

Yes. Kissing Austin was the biggest mistake she'd ever made.

No. It wasn't worth losing their entire friendship over.

He pulled her close to him, and let her cry on his chest. "I couldn't lose you either, Ally," he whispered, kissing the top of her head.

"Let's just pretend that this didn't happen then, okay?" she suggested.

He wiped her face clear of the tear shining on her face with his thumbs and smiled a small sad smile. His eyes brows looked so concerned. "Okay, Ally. We can forget." He moved and settled down onto his back, pulling her close to his side with his arm round the crook of her neck. He leant over and turned the light off.

Ally held onto him tightly, because it felt like if she were to let go, he would float away into oblivion. She fell asleep to the sound of his heartbeat.

When she woke up in the morning, she was surprised to see Austin staring at her. He looked exhausted. She traced the dark circle under his eye with her finger. "Did you not sleep well?" she asked, trying her hardest to ignore the part of her to forget about everything and kiss him until they were dead. She really had no idea what had come over her. She felt like a lost cause.

He smiled weakly but it didn't reach his eyes. "Not really. I was a little worried."

"Worried? That movie scared you, didn't it," she teased, laughing hysterically. It helped because it definitely lighted the mood up.

He laughed and tickled her. "No, Ally, it didn't scare me. You were the one crying and talking in your sleep all night," he replied, suddenly looking sad again.

"I was?" she asked, confused. She was more embarrassed than anything. She tried to remember what she dreamt about during the night and vaguely remembered Austin leaving her and saying they couldn't be friends anymore.

Austin brushed her hair away from her face softly. "You kept saying that everything was ruined. You kept calling for me, and crying," he whispered, pulling his arm tighter around her. "Have I ruined everything, Ally? Please tell me that we can forget what happened last night, please," he begged, looking her straight in the eye.

Ally tried her hardest to give him a believable smile. His expression was so sad and inside she just wanted to cry again. But she showed him her best side. "Yah. Of course! Why don't you sleep in for a while and I'll make you breakfast in a bit. Does chocolate chip pancakes sound good," Ally suggested, putting her head back on his chest. She heard him sigh in contentment and she looked up to see he had his eyes closed and a smile was tugging at the corners of his mouth. He did love his pancakes.

* * *

_Reviews are nice._

_Now on a scale of one to ten, how heartbroken do you think Austin is? Or does he even care?_

* * *

_Message to all readers!_

_Okay don't hate me too much, but this was completely necessary and I think if we all look deep into our hearts we can see that. Am I right? Just let the story write itself, or me I guess. I'll write it. Before you punish me, I hope you all know that I could never have the heart to have an awful ending (the alternate ending) to the story. Everything will (hopefully) work out. And there __will__ be a happy ending (eventually)_

_Be patient young grasshoppers, I have given you your kiss. _


	8. The moon and the night sky

**Chapter 8: I'm the moon and she's the night sky**

* * *

_"I'm a caterpillar and she's a butterfly,_

_I'm the morning and she's the sunrise,_

_I'm the moon and she's a star in the night sky,_

_I'm a blade of grass and she's a flower,_

_I'm the winter and she's the summer,_

_I'm a daisy and she's a rose,_

_I'm bronze and she's gold,_

_I'm a river and she's the sea,_

_She'll always mean more to you than me,_

_I'm on my knees and she's on cloud nine,_

_She has you and that's killing me inside. __**– S.M.M**_

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Important: Make sure you read and respond to the questions at the end for important information about the story

The rest of the weekend passed slowly. It seemed that Austin and Ally's friendship needed a little bit of work at the moment to get it back on track. Ever since the kiss, Austin had kept his distance, careful not to get to close to her that could be seen as more than a friendly movement to an onlooker. It was challenging since all his life Austin and Ally's relationship had been a closely knit one, where there were frequent interactions.

Things like walking down the hall at school were different. Things like looping their arms or intertwining their hands were forgotten and space was given. It wasn't that they were drifting apart, because they weren't. Some days Ally thought that they were closer than ever, but space was needed to heal the open wound and prevent any further damage that might tear it.

On Tuesday, Austin brought Ally to his hockey practice early where he was going to give her a few lessons on how to skate properly, or at all.

She sat down on the bench where the players would usual sit during the game and Austin tied her skates carefully after he had done his own.

"I don't even know why you bother trying to teach me to skate. Don't you remember last time? At the roller rink? That was disastrous."

Austin laughed, causing Ally's straight face to smile.

"Just think. One day you'll thank me for teaching you this."

"That's highly unlikely."

"You'll thank me", he repeated feeling quite confident in that. He finished looping the laces of her skates and she stood up to test them out. She gave him thumbs up, and moved towards the gate to the ice where she carefully stepped down and held onto the wall of the rink.

She smiled at Austin who watched her tediously from inside the bench.

"You forgot your helmet", he said. He revealed a helmet that Ally had purchased a year ago strictly for this occasion. He put it on her head and fastened the strap under her chin, without removing his eyes from hers. It was an intimate moment. At least for Ally.

"Safety first", he whispered.

She giggled and quickly turned around to try and skate, but she fell before Austin could even blink his eyes. He chuckled silently at her clumsiness.

"I hope you're trying to get rid of all of that falling right now, so we don't have to spend the entire lesson with you sitting on the ice", Austin called as he maneuvered out of the gate. Ally groaned humorously.

"Not funny", she commented.

Austin helped her up and guided her back to the wall.

"You know, this is a lot harder than it looks. Why are you so good?" Ally grumbled. She held onto the wall for her dear life.

"I've been skating since I was 5, I should be better than you", he said laughing. "Now come on, you aren't going to get any better just holding onto the wall like that."

"I might", she said optimistically.

She didn't let go of the wall completely, but she did shuffle her feet and used the wall as a guide.

"What are you doing?" Austin asked practically skating loops around her.

"I'm trying to see if I can manage without you", Ally replied. "I can't". It wasn't until later in her life when she released how true those words were. And that they were figurative of their relationship. Austin felt the same way.

Austin smiled ecstatically, and they continued to skate, or they at least tried.

Half an hour later, Ally had achieved somewhat skating on her own, and Austin and Ally sat in the player's bench again talking and removing their skates.

"You know if you keep it up, you'll be a professional before you know it", Austin said.

"I think I'll leave you to the professional skating. I'll just be you're number one fan", Ally's eyes widened. "I'll be your groupies."

Austin laughed. "That's great because I've always wanted to have groupies." Ally laughed with him.

"Hey Moon! Is this your thing now? Teaching girls how to skate?" The two teenagers turned to see Cory smiling at them, before Cory turned and walked into the boy's dressing room. Ally looked back at Austin. Had he taught other girls to skate before Ally? Is that what Cory was implying? Austin was avoiding eye contact, and that made Ally's heart begin to panic. She didn't say anything to Austin though. She figured if he had something to say he would. Ally would never admit how much hearing Cory say that broke her heart. She thought she was special.

"Umm. You should probably go get ready for practice", Ally said standing up and holding her skates in her hands.

"Wait! Ally wait", Austin tried to stop her from leaving.

"I'll be in the lobby watching you practice. I need to warm up", she said without emotion.

"If you need anything, let me know", Austin replied in defeat collapsing down onto the bench further. Ally didn't thank him, she just walked away from Austin and left him sitting in the bench. She watched him from the lobby. She watched as he smacked his hands on the rink wall and kicked it with his left foot, before he went into the dressing room.

"Hey Ally", Cory said as he walked towards her in the lobby after ten minutes of alone time.

"Oh, hey Cory", she replied. She was still saddened by the quick change in mood from earlier.

Ally held her skates in her hands, and tried not to focus on Cory's eyes smiling down at hers. Her fingers slipped and she dropped the skates on the floor, but not before she sliced her finger into the blade.

"Ow", she winced in pain as she bent to pick up the fallen skate. Cory beat her to it and grabbed the other from her hand like the gentleman he was.

Examining her finger, the cut was not too deep, but it was bleeding quite a bit and blood began to trace down her hand and onto the floor.

"Austin's right you know, you are clumsy", Cory commented. "Come on let's go get you cleaned up and I'll find you a band aid from the trainers kit." Ally smiled gratefully and followed quickly to catch up to Cory who began to walk down the hall to the player's dressing room. The boys were on the ice. They had just started practice.

In the dressing room Cory found a band aid and used a paper towel to clean up the cut.

"That skate really nicked you didn't it?" Cory said sitting down next to Ally and holding her hand in his while he gently rinsed off the blood.

Ally smiled. His hands felt strong and warm. He put the band aid on carefully, and finished off by kissing her finger.

"There, all better", he said with a grin. Ally giggled on reflex.

"Do you want to go do something? I know a really great place for milkshakes, we can go and be back before their practice is over?" Cory offered.

Ally smiled. It sounded fun.

"I told Austin I wouldn't leave. Sorry, maybe another time?" she asked hopeful.

"Wow, you're really good at rejecting me", he laughed a humorless laugh, making Ally feel guilty. "Is there any time when you aren't busy?"

Ally realized that she had no reason not to go out with Cory. He was a really nice guy and he was into her. If she ever wanted to get over Austin, she was going to have to make an effort. What harm would it do anyways? The only thing that came to her mind is that Austin wouldn't approve of her choice in boyfriend. But he never had before either, so he would just have to accept it.

"I'm free tomorrow", she said after a moment of contemplating her options.

"Really?" Cory asked surprised.

Ally nodded.

"Can I have your number?" he asked nervously. "Please, just one date, that's all, I really like you. And I'll prove to you that this isn't a mistake."

"Yah, I guess." He passed her is phone and she put in her number.

"I should go back out to the stands. Austin will start to wonder where I am and he'll get worried", Ally said after she handed back his phone. She got up an opened the door.

"Is Austin always so protective of you?" Cory asked slightly annoyed.

"He just cares about me. I don't know why you don't like him", Ally commented. "Oh well, it doesn't matter. Bye Cory."

"I'll pick you up tomorrow a 6?"

Ally smiled. "Sure." And she walked back to the ice rink.

* * *

"So, where will you be taking my daughter this evening?" Ally heard her father ask from down the stair. Ally cursed under her breath. He was early. He must be trying to impress her if he is early, she thought. She examined herself one final time before walking down the stairs. Her hair was in its natural loose curls, but she clipped some back for effect. She wore black skinny jeans and one of her favourite green and blue blouses. Satisfied she left the room to go to Cory. She heard the rest of their conversation.

"Well, I thought we would go to this nice Italian restaurant I know of, and then to see a movie after that. Does she have a curfew?" Cory asked nervously. He looked nervous too. He was wearing a nice blue fitted dress shirt that showed off his toned muscles with the sleeves rolled up, and dark washed denim pants. His eyes glowed when he saw Ally walk down the stairs. Ally blushed.

"Well it is a school night, and she is only seventeen years old", Ally's dad said with a frown. Ally rolled her eyes, and walked up to her father.

"Dad, he knows how old I am. But we are going to a movie so can we make curfew a little later tonight?" Ally asked with a pouty face.

Her dad sighed. "Fine, curfew is 11, okay?" he looked at Cory who nodded right away with a smile on his face.

"Thanks dad! I'll see you later!" she kissed his cheek and went to Cory's side. Cory had already opened the door, eager to leave. She slipped on her beige leather jacket and started walking out the door.

"You look after her, you hear me?" Lester called.

"I will sir, have a good night", Cory replied.

The door closed and they walked to the car together.

"You look beautiful by the way", Cory said with a glint in his eyes.

Ally looked down at her outfit, and blushed. "Thanks, you clean up nicely too", she said with a smile as Cory closed the passenger door behind her, with a satisfied smile on his face. His car was averagely clean. It looked like he had a thing for hard rock music with the few CD's he had floating around his car. There was a picture of a beautiful woman perched on the rear view mirror.

"Who's that?" Ally asked as Cory started the car and began to back out of the drive way.

"That is my mother. She died in a car crash three years ago. I just like to have her there as a reminder whenever I drive", Cory told her.

"That's a nice picture of her", Ally commented. She saw the resemblance. They both had glowing green eyes, and brown hair.

Cory nodded.

"Do you like Italian?" he asked changing the subject to a lighter topic.

"Who doesn't like Italian", Ally replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

* * *

"Your dad is a little scary", Cory commented as they sat across from each other in the Italian restaurant. It was a nice intimate restaurant. So far the food had been satisfying and they were having a good time.

Ally laughed. "He's just very protective. He doesn't want anyone to hurt me", she replied.

"It looked like you had him wrapped around your little finger."

Ally laughed and shrugged.

"I'd say you handled my dad very well. How's your lasagna?" she asked Cory.

"Really good, do you want to try?" he asked with a grin holding out some lasagna on his fork.

"You're going to feed me?" Ally laughed.

Cory shrugged and ate the lasagna.

"How is your food? Is there anything I can get you", a waitress with beautiful red hair asked putting a hand on Cory's back.

Ally smiled politely, but was quite disturbed with the behaviour of the girl. "Thanks Carol. It's really good tonight." Carol smiled affectionately at Cory. "Oh, Ally, this is my sister, Carol. Carol this is my date, Ally." Cory must have seen the confused look on Ally's face.

"Oh, it's so nice to meet you Carol."

"Cory doesn't stop talking about you. You must be a pretty special girl", Carol mused.

Ally blushed and Cory didn't make eye contact with her. "The food is really good. Thanks Carol", Ally said. Carol smiled and bid them a goodbye.

"You didn't tell me your sister worked here", Ally said leaning into the table.

"I just did, didn't I?" he said smiling.

"She is really nice. She doesn't look anything like you though."

"She got all of my dad's genes, I got all of my moms."

* * *

After the movie, Cory brought Ally back home with 20 minutes to spare. They settled on a romantic comedy, and they could both agree that it was a great night. They both learned a lot about each other and had a lot of fun.

"Hey look at that. I've gotten you home early, maybe that will put me in the good books with the old man?"

Ally laughed. "Thanks for tonight Cory, I had a great time."

"Me too", he said gleaming with his eyes. His smile nearly stretched from ear to ear. "I'll walk you to the door." Ally didn't wait for him to open the door for her, he had already done it enough times to surpass the title of gentleman.

"Dinner was really good. I will definitely be remembering that place", said Ally.

"Next time I'll have to show you my mean cooking skills", Cory replied.

"Next time? Who said I wanted to go out again?" Ally asked with an amused smile on her face. She stopped in front of the front door of the house.

Cory smirked, and began leaning his head towards Ally's slowly. His lips lightly grazed hers before pressing a little harder and pulling away. It was a sweet chaste kiss leaving her wanting more. It did feel a little different.

"Maybe we can do this again tomorrow night?"

"I can't. Tomorrow Austin and I are working on a project after school for English. I'm not busy on Thursday though". Ally smiled apologetically.

"Thursday sounds perfect", he said before kissing Ally briefly again.

They said goodbye and Ally walked into the house. She was surprised to see her mother their smiling.

"Oh my gosh, he's so handsome", her mom said honestly.

"Mom! We're you spying on us?" Ally cried as she removed her coat and hung it up in the closet.

"So you're going out again with him on Thursday?"

"You were listening too?"

Penny rolled her eyes jokingly.

"Just be careful sweetie, he's older than you and more experienced. Don't feel like you need to rush into anything. If you ever need to talk to me about anything, you know you can right. "

"I know mom, thanks, have a good night. Love you", Ally replied kissing her cheek and walking up the stairs to her bed room.

She fell asleep with a smile on her face.

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_Reviews make my heart burst into a flame of eternal happiness._

* * *

_Two questions:_

_1. This one is __really __important__! I need answers! Should I make Cory a __possessive__ controlling boyfriend (he would be a little violent at times), or the __nice__ cute boyfriend that everyone wants to have as a boyfriend? Answer in your reviews! I will take your ideas into account!_

_2. How do you think Austin will react to Ally's dating news?_

_Next time: Ally will tell Austin about her date with Cory! Cory may or may not make the biggest mistake he could possible make._


	9. Wise words from a friend

**_Chapter 9: Someone once told me to follow my heart_**

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_I could not tell you if I loved you the first moment I saw you, or if it was the second or third or fourth. But I remember the first moment I looked at you walking toward me and realized that somehow the rest of the world seemed to vanish when I was with you_

**_– Cassandra Clare_**

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Warning: Some swear words. (Brace yourself)

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"Hey", Austin said as Ally climbed into his truck in the morning.

The sun was shining so Austin wore his sun glasses. Austin's truck was ten times cleaner than Cory's and Austin had the new car smell to his vehicle. He loved the smell, and that was why he bought the new car smell air freshener. His truck was a dark red colour, and there were six seats if you folded up the arm rest in the center of the front seat. Ally loved to sit in his truck because it made her feel tall and powerful in comparison to the other cars. Sometimes he would even let her drive. But only on a rare occasion.

"Hey yourself" she said kissing his cheek, he smiled and she felt her heart speed up.

"Are we still on for working on English tonight?"

"Uh yah, I actually began the research last night, but there is still a ton of work left to do. We will definitely be up late tonight", Ally replied.

After about 10 minutes of easy talking Ally's mind was driving her insane. _Ok now, just tell him now, _her mind told her. Her mind knew that she couldn't effectively concentrate at school that day if she were thinking about keeping the previous night a secret from Austin.

"Um, Austin, I need to tell you something but I don't want you to get mad at me?" she asked nervously playing with her hands on her lap. Austin turned down the music that was playing on the radio and directed his attention to Ally. He removed his sun glasses so Ally could feel like she was looking at him in the eyes when she talked to him.

"Ok Ally I won't get mad I promise, what's wrong?" he asked she could hear the concern in his voice, he pulled into the school car park but they didn't move to get out. She didn't say anything. She was worried about how angry he'd be. He'd already said to stay away from him. Numerous times.

"Ally?" he said quietly, taking her hand and rubbing calming circles in the back with his thumb. It was a soothing gesture, and made her feel warm inside.

"Ok well, I went out with Cory Haynes last night and I'm seeing him again tomorrow" she said quickly looking out of the windshield. He drew in a sharp breath through his teeth and she grimaced ready for him to explode.

"You went out with him?" he whispered. His reaction surprised her. She expected the worst, but this was ten times as bad. He looked so sad she almost cried.

"I'm sorry, I know you don't like him but he was actually really sweet to me", she said looking at his face, he had his eyes squeezed shut and his hands were clenched into fists on the seat, his jaw clenched tight. "It was fun, I had a nice time", she said smiling.

He snapped his eyes open and pulled his head back from hers "Did you sleep with him Ally?" he asked venomously. Ally eyes went wide in shock.

"How in the hell can you ask me that? It was a first date for god's sake Austin! Is that what you really think of me? That I'm a slut?" she asked opening his door and climbing out stomping off angrily. The damn boy would sleep with anything that moves but has the nerve to judge her?

He'd been out with plenty of girls before, and no matter how much it might have hurt Ally she never said anything. It was like an unspoken pact for her not to bring that topic up. But apparently it was different when it came to Austin.

It wasn't fair that he could go out with any girl he pleased, but the moment Ally went out with a boy, he got angry.

She heard footsteps behind her before he grabbed her hand making her stop. "Ally! I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked that, I know you wouldn't have done that, it's just that he's such a player Ally, that's all he wants from you", he said frowning angrily.

"Oh, so the only thing I'm good for is sex right?" Ally shouted shaking her head at him in disbelief. They were starting to draw a crowd of students in the parking lot and people were stopping to listen to them shout at each other. No one whispered, they all just watched like they were the power couple on a reality television show getting into a huge fight that would probably end up in a break up.

"You know that's not what I think! But he will trust me!" he shouted in her face making her flinch back from the sound of his voice like he had slapped her. Austin could see how hurt Ally was, but the anger seemed to be battling for dominance.

"What the hell? Is it so hard to comprehend that someone might want to be with me for me? You think I'm good for nothing else?" she asked hurt that he could think of her that way. Ally felt tears prick at the back of her eyes, but she wouldn't let herself cry. Not there.

"Ally! For God sake! Of course not, you know I love you for you, how the hell could you say that? But he's different, he's so much older than you, he's only going to be after one thing" he said pulling her hand trying to get her to move closer to him. She kept her ground and made him move. He stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her tightly, kissing her temple, "I'm sorry Ally, I really am, I didn't mean it like that, please, I'm sorry, I just, I don't like that guy, I don't trust him", he whispered in her ear making her shiver. She wanted to be mad, but she couldn't. She loved him too much.

"Well you don't have to like him Austin, but you can put this grudge against him aside for me can't you?" she asked quietly wrapping her arms around him and burying her face in his neck.

"Yeah I can do that for you Ally, I'd do anything for you" he said kissing her temple again and sighing.

"Shows over everyone! Come on, get to class. Go mind your own business", Dez shouted waving his hands towards the school. Ally pulled back to look at Austin and he smiled a weak defeated smile at her; she faked a smile back and grabbed his hand pulling him into the school.

That was the worst fight they've had in years. Possibly ever. But it did end well, and they were still talking to each other. So that was a good thing.

* * *

"Hey Trish? What's going on with everyone today? Why do they all look like they want to hurt me more than usual?" Ally said moving her head closer to Trish and away from all of the girls glaring at her. The cafeteria at lunch was always a battle field, but the energy inside the cafeteria today was exceptionally negative.

Trish chuckled and looked around the cafeteria to see a few girls watching them closely.

"Austin declared his undying love for you in the parking lot at approximately 8:43, so they're all jealous of you, I heard the cheerleaders talking in the bathrooms thinking of ways they can get revenge on you", she said giggling. Trish set down her cell phone and began eating her sandwich.

Ally groaned. "He did not declare his undying love for me! Jeez! We're friends! Why is everyone making such a big deal out of Austin and I?" she asked shaking her head.

"Austin and I what?" Austin said wrapping his arms around Ally from behind. He took one of Ally's baby carrots from her lunch and ate it with a loud crunch.

"All the girls are hating on Ally, because you told her you loved her and would do anything for her, everyone in the school has been talking about it all morning. Where have you been?" Trish said simply shrugging her shoulders as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Austin just chuckled and gave her a squeeze, "Oh well, it's true she knows that anyway" he said kissing her hair.

She elbowed him in the stomach and pulled away laughing. "If any of these girls poison me or something, I will murder you," she warned trying to look threatening.

He just laughed again and rolled his eyes. "I'm so scared of you Ally-gator, so scared" he said mockingly grabbing her hand and pulling her to his table. The hockey team made room for her and Austin next to Dez and Ethan.

"So how long have you two really been together?" Tilly one of the cheerleaders who was sitting across the table asked Ally looking genuinely curious. The blonde haired girl wore her cheerleading outfit and looked too preppy.

"We aren't together!" Ally cried throwing her hands up in the air.

"Oh come on cupcake, they're just curious", Clay said with a smirk as he kissed the back of my hand, I elbowed him in the ribs harshly. Austin groaned quietly. But the smile was still on his face. She just wanted to slap it right off.

"Will you stop!" she exclaimed angrily shaking her head at him. Ally was beyond annoyed. Usually should would appreciate all this closeness, but now she just felt aggravated.

"Stop what sweet cheeks?" he asked innocently winking at her.

"Austin enough now seriously, you're starting to piss me off", she said pulling her hand out of his.

"Trouble in paradise?" Ethan asked with a smirk.

"So are you two like gonna get married?" Tilly asked curling her hair around her finger looking dreamily at Austin. Austin didn't even take notice in her, but he did hear her.

"Eventually… I'd marry her tomorrow if it were up to me" he said tucking her hair behind her ear and looking right into her eyes. Her mouth fell open, and the cheerleaders gasped. She didn't hear what Austin's teammates said. Maybe they didn't say anything at all. It didn't seem to matter. She had enough of whatever game Austin was playing. She excused herself and stood up to walk out of the cafeteria. She hated that he was mocking her feelings for him. At least that's what it felt like. It felt like even though he didn't know how she felt, he was still using her feelings against her. She had almost made it to her locker when Austin came up behind her.

"Why did you say that?" Ally said quietly. Austin saw the look on her face. He didn't even realize how much he was hurting her.

A look of pure sadness and hurt came across his face. She didn't know what to do, so she slung her arm around his waist easily and leaned against him. "I'm sorry, I'll stop now" he muttered.

"Thank you." She turned and kissed him on his cheek "I love you too by the way" she whispered honestly, which made him beam at her melting her heart. They sat in the hallway and talked until lunch was over.

* * *

_I heart reviews. And follows. And Favourites. I heart it all. So like it up._

* * *

_What do you think is going to happen next? _

_On a scale of one to ten how heartbroken is Ally with Austin?_

_We've concluded that Austin is very heartbroken, but not quite a ten, because he is still happy that their friendship is intact. But what about Ally? Ally has been pushing away her feelings for Austin in fear that everything could be ruined. _

_Discussion time!_

* * *

_Message to avid readers!_

_Okay people, so I was going to make this chapter longer, but it ended up being like 4000 words and that was really long. So I thought I would break it in two. The next chapter will be posted in the next few days. It will consist of some pretty great things. It will give you a reason to hate on Cory! Trust me it's juicy. Any guesses? Cya next time!_


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